Just another WordPress.com weblog

Freedom to Fascism scare!

My mum pasted me this link and she practically ordered me to see it 😛 So I did, because obeying mothers every once in a while is a Good Thing, or something.

The video fits easily in the genre of conspiracy theories. Nowadays the tag “conspiracy theory” is almost automagically synonymous for “bullshit” which is kind of a shame because it means that whenever there is some kind of serious issue that requires your attention as a Thoughtful Citizen the label Conspiracy Theory alone can be used to disarm the entire argument presented. Kind of a worrying thought in itself. There must be a conspiracy theory that explains how The People Behind The Scenes have worked hard to make the average person believe that a conspiracy theory is by default bogus. Oh the intrigue!

Anyway, disregard that. The video I’m posting about is a documentary made by Aaron Russo titled “America: Freedom to Fascism“. As always I watched it with skepticism and an open mind, to avoid both the danger of ignoring any dangers, and to avoid being a sucker for another Conspiracy Theory.

I can safely tell you that the first hour or so, maybe the first 50ish minutes up until the (nonsupported) claim that the IRS is falsely accusing and targeting (poor) Americans is very compelling. It deals with the simple matter that there is no law that states an American has to pay income tax, and spends such a great deal of time and convincingly looking interviews, statements and official records that it seems a solid point was made.

After that the whole documentary falls into a torrent of statements and accusations, suddenly introducing the notion of New World Order out of thin air, loosely tying this to the Federal Reserve which apparently controls the USA. This is where the amount of proof starts to thin and the amount of speculation increases. It’s still an interesting thing to watch but I think most people will start to write it off as “Just Another Conspiracy Theory” and give it not much of a second thought.

I think that is a shame. At least the first fifty minutes seem pretty much waterproof. If anything, go watch the first fifty minutes. There are a few ‘hit or miss’ accusations that aren’t supported in here as well (such as a very brief statement that Clinton apparently had legal opponents assaulted by IRS monkeys) but if you read/watch past them and stick to the main subject I think you may be pretty much convinced that the main point being made up to that point is solid and to an extent eye-opening. I’m not saying the rest is bullshit, but it seems less supported by official documents and checkable facts than the first bit.